Could Keto Cure My Hormonal Imbalances? - Thyroid UK

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Could Keto Cure My Hormonal Imbalances?

Advocate1 profile image
9 Replies

These some of my recent lab ranges:

DHEA-S: 286 H (40.8-222.0)

Ferritin: 82.5 H (3.0-73.0)

Iron: 96 (65-175)

CPK 1491 H (38-174)

ACTH: 51.99 (7.00-69.00)

CORT: 12.7 (6.4-21.0)

TgAB: <12.0 (0.0-28.7)

ALT: H 65 (10-47)

AST H 45 (11-38)

FSH 2.0 (1.5-168)

LH 4.2 (0.5-68.7)

Progesterone II 1.4 (0.0-1.4)

SHBG: H 56 (10-50)

Albumin H 5.2 (3.6-5.1)

TSH: 1.793 (0.400-4.000)

Free T4 1.1 (0.8-1.8)

TT3 L 0.7 (0.8-1.8)

T4 4.9 (4.9-12.0)

FT3 L 1.82 (2.30-4.20)

IGF-1 H (99-283)

E2 L 25 (40.7-424.6)

I dont get it. Since hiring this Holistic doctor I've done EVERYTHING under the sun and listened to his dietary recommendations. I've easily spent $2000 plus between his services, the supplements he provides, and food that i need to purchase on a weekly basis. I've taken ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Ginseng, Long jack, and I'm about to start Mucuna soon.

Despite all these efforts, its safe to say this is the worse that my body has ever been. I'm honestly considering discontinuing seeing this doctor as well.

I'm thinking my last ditch effort before deciding to go on thyroid hormones and testing the conventional medicine methods is the Keto Diet.

I've read information in favor of keto and against it, especially for hypo/subclinical thyroid conditions.

I've had my life on hold for too long and after seeing these results I feel perplexed and somewhat defeated, sometimes it feels like ill never get back but i know i have to stay as positive as possible.

please let me know what you guys think, thanks!

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G2G2 profile image
G2G2

Some people do well on Keto, but others don't. I can only speak to my experience. I'm a T1 diabetic & ate very low carb/high fat for 10 years, which is essentially Keto though the term wasn't popularized when I started. Turned out very low carb was detrimental to my thyroid. Pushed adrenals into overdrive & I felt wired/exhausted. Since learning this the hard way, I've increased complex carbs (though still eat low carb). I've read a lot about Keto & don't believe it's for everyone long-term.

Understand your frustration. I've also wasted time & money on alternative doctors. Like everything, some are great & some are useless. Though this particular doctor hasn't helped you, doesn't mean another won't be successful. I go to a functional medicine doctor. They investigate root causes. I have no trust in conventional MD's.

Not surprising you feel awful with those lab results.

Advocate1 profile image
Advocate1 in reply to G2G2

How do you feel about hgh?

G2G2 profile image
G2G2 in reply to Advocate1

Are you considering dynatropin? I think HGH is something you need to be very careful with. What do you hope HGH will do? You've got high liver enzymes & ALT, so need to be cautious with adding things for your liver to clear. Easier said than done, that an intelligent doctor could balance your sex hormones & thyroid would. There's no one magic bullet.

rslnhwt profile image
rslnhwt

I wouldn't personally recommend keto, as the body needs carbohydrates to convert T4 into active hormone T3. I went on a keto diet for 2 months and noticed an energy boost and felt more 'wakeful.' However this only happens because your stress hormones rise, which is not good long term for the body.

Advocate1 profile image
Advocate1 in reply to rslnhwt

Did bloodwork confirm that? I’ve read and watched plenty in favor and also against. I know that it can reduce t4-t3 conversion, but I also read that it’s because your body is more efficient and doesn’t require as much thyroid hormone. However I think I need to test it out for myself, or maybe there’s a happy medium like high fat/100g carbs or less? Anyway I got Armour ThYroid prescribed at a very low dose, plus I have an rheumatology appointment coming up next week to see if there’s any AI conditions present. We’ll see how that goes, hopefully I’ll be healed sooner than later

rslnhwt profile image
rslnhwt in reply to Advocate1

In my experience yes (9% FT3 keto to 19% non-keto), and it's also been shown through studies.

Good article here: dietvsdisease.org/low-carb-...

I can't really comment on all your hormones because I don't know much about things like DHEA. But your thyroid results look to me like central hypothyroidism. TSH is normal and T3 is low. I remember seeing a list of reasons why that can happen. I'll see if I can find it for you.

Advocate1 profile image
Advocate1 in reply to rslnhwt

I feel ya bud.

I was also suspecting central hypo but can be definitive yet.

I have a source for pharma grade hgh I can use when I’m ready; think it could help?

rslnhwt profile image
rslnhwt in reply to Advocate1

njmonline.nl/getpdf.php?id=...

List of potential causes for normal TSH/low thyroid on the second page.

As for hgh...if you have GH deficiency then it will have good effects on you. But honestly I would only use it under supervision.

You seem to have a form of hypopituitarism. So the pituitary isn't working properly and no diet or supplements is going to get it working again. Holistic doctors are good for managing some conditions. But other conditions not so much.

Seeing a rheumatologist and starting Armour I think is a step in the right direction. Your thyroid levels are very low so you have lots of potential to raise them and feel better. :)

Advocate1 profile image
Advocate1 in reply to rslnhwt

I’m starting on a low dose of Armour, basically taking a pill once a day.

Hopefully there will be some improvement there. If I get my thyroid up and running well again, maybe everything else in my body, along with a solid diet will help balance everything else out in the long run.

Im guessing my next 2 things to look into are autoimmune disease and GH deficiency!

Sometimes it feels like I’ll be stuck like this forever but I’m still keeping it positive, I have plenty hope.

Thanks for the help guys, I think I’ll forget Keto and concentrate on a super clean diet.

Thanks for the advice and the references guys, I’ll be back with updates

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